Internal Self-Stigma and External Factors of Social Support with Burden in Families with Mental Retardation

Abstract

Mental retardation is one disability in the form of intellectual development deviations. This clinical condition is characterized by decline in cognitive, language, motoric and social abilities, this leads to lifelong dependence on families as caregivers and impacts to physical and psychological individuals, families and society. This cause a family burden. The purpose of this study was to find the relationship between self-stigma and social support with the burden of families of mental retardation sufferers. This study used an observational analytic method with a cross-sectional approach. The sample in this research is family members of mental retardationpractitioners in Sidoharjo village, Jambon Subdistrict, Ponorogo Regency, East Java Province, Indonesia, amounting to 58 people selected by technique purposive sampling. Data collection using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed through univariate and bivariate analysis using the Spearman Rank test. The results of the bivariate analysis of the relationship between self-stigma and family burden were obtained p = 0.001 and r = 0.429. This shows that there is a relationship between self-stigma and burden, the higher the self-stigma, the higher the burden of the family of mental retardation sufferers. The results of the bivariate analysis of the relationship between social support and burden were obtained p = 0.002 and the value of r = -0.039. This shows that there is a relationship between social support and family burden, the higher the social support, the lower the burden of the family of mental retardation sufferers. The conclusions of this study is that there is a relationship between self-stigma and social support with the burden on families of mentally retarded patients.